Fertilizer-distributer



v(No Model.)

R.v B. THOMAS.v FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTEB..`

No. 481,315. Patented Aug. 23, 1892,.

Zn HMM" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT BONY THOMAS, OF BLACKBURN, LOUISIANA.

FERTILIZER-DISTRIBUTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 481,315, dated August23, 1892.

Application filed March 16,1892.

To all whom, it' may concern:

Be it known that l, ROBERT BoNY THOMAS, a citizenof theUnitedStates,residing at Blackburn, in the parish of Olaiborne and State ofLouisiana, have invented a new and useful Fertilizer-Distributer, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in fertilizer-distributers; andthe objects in view are to providea cheap and simple distributer adaptedto drill the fertilizer into the ground and to so construct the drill orspout as to ob- Viate impairing the same by contacting with objectslying in its path.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of afertilizer-distributer constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig.2 is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig..3 is a transverse section.Fig. 4 is a detail.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the Iigures of thedrawings.

The side bars 1 merge into shafts or thills and at and near their rearends are connected by a pair of cross-bars 2, upon which is supportedthe hopper 3. Bearing-boxes4 are' located upon the under sides of theside bars 1, and an axle 5 is journaled in the boxes for loose rotation.The axle between the boxes is squared, and likewise beyond the same,With the exception of its extremities, which are reduced to formspindles and have mounted thereon ground-wheels 6.

Between each wheel and adjacent side bar 1 a sliding clutch 7 ismounted, the same be' ing provided with external annular grooves 8 andat their outer faces with diametricallyopposite beveled teeth 9, adaptedto be thrown into engagement by movements of the clutches into therecesses 10, formed in the inner faces of the hubs of the ground-wheels6. Such shifting of the clutches is secured by a manipulation of thelevers 11, which are fulcrumed on brackets 12 at opposite sides of thehopper and have their lower ends forked, as at 13, and their upper endsreduced to form handles. Vthen the levers are drawn inwardly, theground-wheels and axle become locked and move together, and when thrownoutwardly Serial No. 425,206. (No model.)

theclutches disconnect from the wheels, thus permitting the latter torevolve upon the spindles of the axle. The side walls of the hopperextend below the frame of the machine and are semicircular below suchpoint and are connected by a curved or semicircular sheet-metal bottom15. The bottom 15 is provided at front and rear sides of itsdischarge-opening 16 with iianges 17, and in these flanges there ismounted for sliding a cut-off 18, having a slot 19. By moving thecut-off to one side its slot is thrown out of alignment withA that ofthe bottom, and hence escape of the fertilizer is prevented, and, on theother hand, by moving the cut-olf so that the two openings align thedischarge of the fertilizer will be permitted.

Hinged to the bottom in rear of the discharge-opening, as indicated at20, is a tapered discharge-spout or drill 2l, the lower end of which isadapted to take into the furrow or directly over the same and depositthe fertilizer in such manner as to prevent the Waste of the same by theblowing of it away. The front upper end of the spout or drill isprovided with a hook 22, and a coiled spring 23 is connected at itslower end to the hook and at its upper end to a hook 24, located uponthe front cross-bar 2. The lower end of the discharge spout or drill isrounded, as shown at 25, to facilitate its riding over the earth; butshould the spout meet with such an obstruction as would be calculated toinjure the same, if forced by it, the spring will yield, permitting thespout to swing to the rear, and thus the obstruction may be safelypassed, after which the spout or drill will be automatically returned bythe retracting-spring, as mentioned.

At intervals there project from the shaft or axle within the hopper aseries of long and short blades or agitator-arms, the same beingdeflected or set at an angle to the angle of the shaft or axle, so as toconstitute a means for agitating or loosening the fertilizer andpreventing the same from becoming packed and also for feeding fertilizerto the dischargeopening in the hopper. Every other arm is shorter thanthe adjacent or intermediate arm, and I iind that this arrangementserves more efficiently to agitate the fertilizer than where all of thearms are of the same length.

IOO

From the front and rear walls of the hopper inwardly extend inclinedshelves 26, the same terminating short of each other and serving tosupport the fertilizer and prevent the entire weight of the contents ofthe hopper from resting upon the axle and agitatingarms.

As before mentioned, the discharge or drill is tapered and the lower endof the same is rounded. The object and advantage of these features arethat in case the drill should strike an object suiicient to overcome thetensile strength the said discharge or drill would swing to the rear andby reason of its lower end being rounded would not offer such greatimpediment to the movement or travel of the machine; Furthermore, by therounding of the lower end the front wall terminates above thel lower endof the discharge, and hence would drop the fertilizer in a linesubstantially vertical below the opening in the hopper-bottom. Byslanting or tapering the drill the front wall is inclined or iiared, sothat it will catch the fertilizer dropping from the hopper and conductthe same properly, which would not be the case if the front wall werestraight, for the reason that its upper edge would when the drill wasswung to the rear be in rear of the front edge of the opening in thehopper, and hence the fertilizer would drop from said opening and but aportion of it pass through the drill.

Having described my invention, what I claim is In afertilizer-distributer, the combination, 3 5 with the framework, thehopper having the curved bottom provided with a dischargeopening, adownwardly-tapered drill hinged at its rear edge to the hopper-bottom inrear of the opening, having a lower rounded end, 4o and a springconnecting the front end of the drill with the fixed part of the frame,of an axle having rounded bearing portions located in openings formed inthe opposite sides of the hopper and atits opposite ends provided with45 reduced bearings and between the reduced bearings and roundedportions squared, the ground-wheels mounted on the reduced bearings andhaving their hubs notched or toothed at their inner sides, the toothedclutch-sleeves adapted to engage therewith and mounted on the squaredportions of the axle, brackets extending from the opposite walls of thehopper, and hand-levers fulcrumed on thev bracket, which at their lowerends terminate in lugs loosely embracing the sleeves.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aixed mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT BNY THOMAS.

Witnesses:

JAMES S. RICHARDSON, W. C. PRICE.

